


Kadu'av: the Beginning of the End

by Mistresskabooms, YourHostDatBoiTony



Series: Kadu'av [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-08-04 22:43:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16355669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistresskabooms/pseuds/Mistresskabooms, https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourHostDatBoiTony/pseuds/YourHostDatBoiTony
Summary: In the mystical land of Kadu'av, 2 mercenaries, Eden and Rachel, are tasked to look into the destruction of several caravans, however, what they find kick starts a chain of events that will shape the very foundation of the world





	1. A Job to Do

Eden awoke from his slumber softly. He sighed as he looked outside to see other people setting up shop. "I don't wanna get uuuuuuup. I just wanna sleep..." Eden groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Well, I guess it's Sunday. Time to see what jobs are available." He said as he hopped out of bed.

Eden walked up to the mirror and took a look at himself. Eden had dark and curly brown hair that went down to his shoulders. His face was chiseled, rugged, and handsome. His dark brown eyes were always vibrant and full of life, provided he be given a proper amount of sleep. He was built like an acrobat, his body was incredibly toned and muscular, and he had a rippling six-pack. While this is the body most men dream of, Eden never felt right in it, though, try as he might, he just couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. Eden shook his head. He could worry about that later. Right now, he needs to get ready for whatever job he may have to do. He grabbed his staff and put it in its holster on the back of his outfit, which consisted of a Purple long-coat with Red pants, before walking out the door, walking into town so he could find his partner.

With it being the first day of the work week (Eden always took Saturday off whenever possible.), Eden was more than ready for a new week. However, he was not ready for a common thief bumping right into him. The thief was already down the street when he finally got back up. "Stop him!" Came the voice of a shopkeeper. Eden looked at the thief as he ran into the alley. He sighed before teleporting right in front of him. Magic was nothing new to this world. In fact, almost everyone used it in some way, shape, or form. Eden was a practitioner of fire magic, often using it to augment a punch, or a kick, or a smack with the staff, but he does know some arcane magic, such as the teleportation spell. The thief stopped dead in his tracks. "Please sir! My children are starving. We have no shelter, no food, and no money. Just... Please... Don't hurt us." He was hunched over some fruits he had stolen from the merchant. Eden looked into his eyes. He saw the fear in his eyes, the desperation. Eden walked up to the man and put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand." He reached into his satchel and pulled out Thirty gold pieces. "Here. This should be enough to feed your family for a few weeks. I'd give you more, but I kinda need the money myself." He dropped the coins into his hands. "Could you give me the fruits back?" The man obliged, looking truly shocked that someone was treating him this kindly. "T-thank you sir!" 

Eden looked back at the man. "Don't mention it. It was the least I could do. I gotta go now, take care!" He said as he walked back to the shopkeeper, giving him his stolen fruits.

Eden made it over to the bounty board a few minutes later, where a young woman stood, waiting for him. She was in her twenties, just like Eden. She had long, curly black hair done up in a bun, which complimented her Green eyes very well. She wore a suit of armor, With a sword in its scabbard and a shield on her back. She held a helmet underneath her armpit. This was Eden's partner, Rachel. "What took you so long?" She said in a scolding tone

"I got held up" Eden replied. "So, what kinda jobs we looking at, Rachel?"

"Well, we got cleaning up a stable,"

"Ew, No. Not after last time. I'm still trying to get the shit smell out of that outfit."

"Finding a lost cow,"

"How the fuck do you lose a cow?"

"And... Investigating the destruction of several Roja caravans."

"Wait... What!? Who the hell would wanna pick a fight with them?" Eden was genuinely unsure of who would. The Roja are descendants group of dragons banished from their main kingdom by the others for reasons that no one remembers anymore. As time went on, they became more and more humanoid in appearance. They still retain the ability to breathe fire, and do have some ridges on their head and hands. Most of them lived in small communities scattered across the world, but some did live a semi-nomadic lifestyle. There were definitely people who hated them, like certain factions of Yeshu, who are people that are much like you or I in appearance, but as far as Eden was aware, none of them were big enough to orchestrate several attacks.

"That's what they want us to find out."

"I guess we're taking that job then" Eden said.

"Agreed." Rachel said as she put on her helmet. "I'll go get the horses."

Eden kept reading over the bounty board over and over. He didn't have any time to think on it as the sound of clopping hooves came up behind him. Eden got up on his own horse. "Let's go," Eden said.

"Right." The two rode out of the town. Little did they know that it would be years before they came back to it.


	2. A horrific sight

It was two hours before they reached the caravan. Rachel immediately paused, staring on in shock at what she saw. Eden was deep in thought, and hadn't noticed. It was only after Eden got off his horse and finally noticed, dropping his staff at what he saw. Blood caked the entirety of the caravan as bodies littered the ground. It wasn't just the adults, either. Not even the children were spared this grisly fate, fear frozen on their faces until their bodies decompose, rotting away. The bodies were mutilated. Many had their guts spilling out. Normally, after someone dies, their magic lingers for a few weeks, slowly dispersing before becoming too sparce to properly sense. But here, Eden felt nothing. No magic remained. Their life. Their essence. their memories. Their spirits. All of it had faded. But, judging by the state of their corpses, they couldn't have been dead for more than a couple hours. To this day, Eden still hasn't forgotten the horrors he saw.

It was minutes before either of them spoke. They simply stood, frozen in disbelief at the slaughter they saw. Soon enough, Rachel finally spoke. "Who? Who could have done this?"

"I... I don't know. Maybe we can find out from the bodies."


	3. Investigation

As Eden stepped into the encampment, the first thought that ran through his mind was "why?" Why would somebody do this? What made it acceptable in their minds to kill every single one of them? She kneeled down in front of one of the bodies; A little girl, who couldn't have been more than five or six years old, with the same frozen expression of fear on her face. Eden closed her eyes. "Maybe she's in a better place now." He said to himself.

"Eden! I think I found something!" Rachel's voice disrupted his thoughts. Eden quickly made his way over to her. "Look." She said, pointing to one of the corpses.

Eden looked at the cadaver. This one wasn't Roja. It was Yeshu. The body was dressed in white and gold armor, starkly contrasting the civilian clothes of the others. Perhaps most telling was the emblem on his breastplate, which was that of a golden cross emblazoned with jewels. "I'm fairly certain that this man wasn't killed by whoever killed the rest of them." Rachel said, breaking the silence. "That emblem is the insignia of the Gilded Cross, a radical organization that believes in Yeshu superiority. The bodies are also still warm, so they can't be far."

"Then we should follow them and stop them before they can harm anyone else!"

"No. We have no idea where they went, and even if we did, we have no idea how many of them there are."

It was at that moment that another member of the Gilded Cross, who was hiding among the wreckage, charged at Rachel, blade drawn as he swung down on her. Rachel drew her sword from the scabbard and clashed blades with him before sending out a pulse of light that knocked him to his feet. She kicked the weapon away before sheathing her sword and grabbing him and pinning him to the wall.

Eden stormed up to him. "Why!? Why did you kill them!?"

"Stupid boy. These gypsies are nothing more than thieves and murderers! We dealt with them as our sovereign duty! And once we're done with them, we'll get to work on gutting each and every single one of you Alayim pigs!" He chuckled as Eden sighed and placed his hand to the soldier's head, reading his mind and gathering the information on which way they went. 

The Alayim were one of the oldest peoples around. They were generally distinguishable due to their taller than average height (The average height for an adult is 6'7) and Long pointed ears. They were an ancient people, with over 10,000 years of art and culture to them. Unfortunately, the rest of the world only saw them as greedy merchants, or worse.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Eden then snapped his neck. Rachel let his body fall lifelessly to the floor. Eden then looked at her. "They went approximately 23 degrees northwest."

"Then we follow them, scout out how big their forces are, and then we decide our next action." Rachel replied.

"Right." The two mercenaries mounted their horses and rode off to follow them.


	4. The first night.

They traveled for what felt like days. Neither of them said a word to each other, Even as they stopped to set up camp for the night. Eden couldn't get his mind off of what he had seen.

After what felt like hours of deafening silence, Rachel finally spoke. "Still can't get your mind off it either?"

"No. It's just... I don't understand how someone could do that. To just... End so many lives, just for who they were. And I'm not sure I want to understand."

Rachel sighs, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't get it either. Some people just think they're better. And, unfortunately, it's those people who are put in control. They make life harder for anyone who isn't like them, and they weave their toxic ideologies into the system."

"Wouldn't people notice?"

"Most people who aren't affected just don't care."

"Yeah, I guess so." He sighed and stoked the campfire before hearing the sound of snapping branches. He ignited his fists, facing the direction from which the sound was coming from. Two humanoid silhouettes were seen fleeing. As he started off to pursue them, Rachel grabbed his wrist. "They could be leading us into a trap."

Eden deignited his hands. "I'll take first watch."

"Right." Rachel took out her sleeping bag and took off her armor before getting inside of it. "Night."

"Sleep well." He said, the crackling fire soon lulling Rachel to sleep.

\----------------------

Meanwhile, at the Gilded Cross encampment, two figures returned. The first was a young woman, roughly average in height with raven hair. Her auburn eyes were vibrant, yet held a deep uncertainty and sadness within them. The other was a man who towered over her. His short, ragged blonde hair complimented his deep blue eyes. They made their way to the center of the encampment and stepped into the largest tent.

Waiting for them inside was an older-looking woman. Her armor held the same white and gold color scheme, but was much more heavily gilded than the others. She also sported a red cape. "Windsor, Jess, Report." She spoke, her very voice holding an aura of command and bile that shook Jess to her very core.

Windsor spoke. "Well, High leader, we've confirmed that two people are following us. Both of them are Alayim."

"Were you spotted?"

"Unfortunately, yes. The error is my own. I'm sorry.

The high leader sighed. "Very well. You two have a very special task." She stood up. "Follow me." She exited the tent

Windsor quickly followed, but Jess hesitated. She had seen what they-no-what she did at the encampment. Was this really right? Were they really the criminals the High Leader said they were? She was taken from her thoughts by Windsor. "Hey, you coming, or what?"

"Oh! Yes! Sorry, just deep in thought."

Windsor shot her a look. "Well, let's go. We don't want to keep the High leader waiting."

Jess nodded. "Right." She followed behind him into the night.


	5. Cathos

The next morning came without any fanfare for Eden and Rachel. they ate a quick breakfast and took down camp. "Ready to go, Eden?"

"Waiting on you, Rachel!" He mounted his horse.

"Right." She said with a chuckle as she got on her own horse. "If memory serves, there should be a city in the direction they went off in. We should probably stop there for supplies."

"Sounds like a plan, partner." They rode off together into the forest.

Sure enough, they soon arrived at the city, Eden's jaw dropped. The architecture was incredibly grandiose, Almost as though every house was a great marble monument to the family that lived inside. Statues were found in every square, each commemorating some hero of the past. The streets were bustling with merchants setting up shop and citygoers on their daily commute. Rachel smiled at his awestruck face. "Welcome to Cathos, Eden." She said as she started riding into the city. Eden followed.

"Just... Wow! This place is just... beautiful!"

"Well, when you're one of the oldest cities in this part of the world, there tends to be a lot of beautiful art and culture that accumulates."

"How old is this place?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "About... Uh... 4 and a half thousand years."

Eden whistled. "That's... Quite a long time."

As they put their horses in the stable, Eden took note of a large gathering of people by the town square. Standing upon a platform was a man in white silk robes, fervently preaching. Of what, Eden wasn't sure, they were too far away. "I wonder what that's all about." Rachel said, a concerned, yet curious look on her face.

"Wanna go find out?"

"Like you even had to ask."

As they stepped closer to the crowd, the man's preaching became intelligible. "... As the holy book says, we must not suffer the witch to live! So why do we allow these gypsies to walk the streets? Their practice of dark magic fouls the land as we speak! They steal children from deserving Yeshu parents in order to sacrifice them to Lucifron! They-"

"BULLSHIT!" Came a voice from the crowd. It was a middle aged Roja woman, wearing a simple vest and trousers.

"Of course you would deny it! Just what I'd expect from your ilk. I-"

"WHERE ARE THE FACTS!? THE EVIDENCE!?"

"Well, there was the abduction of a young girl by Gunari, the actress, she-"

"SHE WAS MY DAUGHTER YOU STUPID BASTARD! YOU STOLE HER FROM ME BECAUSE SHE LOOKED LIKE YOU! YOU WANNA KNOW WHY SHE LOOKED LIKE YOU!? IT'S BECAUSE HER FATHER, MY HUSBAND, WAS A YESHU! AND WE FUCKED, AND THEN I POPPED HER OUT OF MY CUNT."

"Guards! Take her away!" Snarled the priest. A pair of guardsmen grabbed Gunari "LET GO OF ME, I'M NOT DONE WITH HIM!" She growled, grabbing one of the guardsmen and slamming him to the ground before decking the other one square in the jaw. "IT IS BECAUSE OF YOUR HYPOCRISY THAT GROUPS LIKE STARLIGHT'S VIGIL EXISTS! WE ARE TIRED OF BEING PUSHED AROUND! ALL OF US! THE ALAYIM, THE MALIANS, THE ROJA; WE ARE ALL TIRED OF BEING MURDERED, TIRED OF BEING DENIED FOOD AND SHELTER, TIRED OF HAVING OUR CHILDREN STOLEN FROM US BECAUSE YOU THINK EVERY CHILD WE HAVE THAT DOESN'T BREATHE FUCKING FIRE IS A CHILD WE KIDNAPPED!" Gunari's tears flowed down as she finished. "Those of you who wish to join us in our fight, follow me." She stepped away. disconcerted murmuring arose from the crowd as Eden and Rachel followed Gunari. They were the only ones to do so.

"Um... Ma'am?" Rachel said softly. Gunari turned to them. "Yes?"

"We're... Looking into the attacks from the Iron Hand on Roja caravans, and... We need help. Would you help us? We'll be more than happy to join after the fact."

Gunari took out a flask and started to drink from it. once she stopped drinking, she spoke again. "I'm... I'm trying to find my daughter. I can give you supplies and a place to stay, but that's about it."

"What was all that talk about fighting against oppression at the square?" Eden replied.

Gunari chuckled. "I am. I've been taking the fight to the Iron Hand for years now. They're the ones who took her from me. I've been checking back in with Starlight's Vigil when i could. They're doing fine."

"If you say so."

"Now, come on, I'll make you guys some lunch!"

Eden looked at Rachel with a shrug before following her.


	6. Lunch.

Gunari's abode was fairly humble, a simple wooden cottage in the outskirts of the city. When Eden entered, he noted a distinct smell of spices. He couldn't tell which, as he never really learned much about cooking, but the smell was still very powerful, almost overwhelming. "Whoo! That is strong!" he remarked.

"Oh! Yeah! Sorry about that! These spices remind me of my daughter. I used to cook a very special meal for her. It used a lot of these spices. It reminds me that... Well... She's still out there."

"You really miss her, huh?" Rachel said.

"Oftentimes, The thought of finding her again is the only thing that keeps me going." She sighed at that. "Well, enough about those thoughts, who wants some lunch?"

"I'd love some!" Said Eden, internally thanking god that they didn't have to continue with this conversation.

"Agreed."

"Well, make yourselves comfortable! I'll get to cooking dinner!" She said, walking into the kitchen.

Eden sat down at a table, with Rachel sitting across from him.

The next few minutes passed by very awkwardly, the only sounds coming from Gunari's kitchen. "She seems nice." Eden said, trying to break the silence

"I can agree with you there. She does seems a little eccentric." Rachel replied

Gunari's voice came from the kitchen "That's how you know I'm not boring!"

"Fair enough!" Rachel shouted back.

Gunari came out soon after with three plates of stuffed peppers. "Ah, this is an old favorite of mine! Stuffed peppers! I will warn you, It's very spicy!"

Eden smiled as his plate was placed in front of him. "I dunno, I've eaten some pretty spicy foods before!"

Gunari chuckled and sat down. "If you say so."

Eden took a bite from the pepper. He regretted his bravado almost instantly as the spices overwhelmed him. His eyes began to water. "Hey Gunari? Where's the wa-"

"Right by the front door, cups are in the kitchen cupboard, bottom shelf."

"Thank you." He immediately scrambled to get water, sighing in relief as he drank it.

"I warned you." Gunari said while chuckling.

"You know, you're not wrong."

Rachel also got herself some water before resuming, laughing heartily.

Eden sat back down before going back to his stuffed pepper. "So... You were an actress, right?"

"Damn right I was. A real good one, too."

"What did you play?"

"I played Villains, mostly. They were often the most entertaining roles to play. I even learned a little bit of shadow magic, just so I could add a little more flair to it."

"Why did you stop?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly in high standing with most playwrights anyways. They considered views like "I believe all of us should be treated equally" to be too extreme and radical. When the falsehood that I stole my daughter started, well, let's just say that work became a lot harder to find." She said bitterly.

"Good lord." Rachel exclaimed

"Yeah, holy shit, Gunari, you gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. That was in the past. I mean, I'm still fucking bitter about it, but I'm perfectly fine." She said with a bitter smile. "You gonna eat your lunch?"

"Oh! Yes! Of course!" Eden said as he started chowing down again.

Soon enough, they all emptied their plates.

"That was delicious, Gunari." Rachel said. "Thank you."

"Also very very hot." Eden interjected.

Gunari started laughing again. "I did warn you!" She said as she gathered up the dishes.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that eating one of my own fireballs would be less hot!"

"Fair enough." Gunari started cleaning up. "What do you guys plan on doing?"

"Well, we're gonna stay here for the night, if that's okay with you."

"It is."

"Then, we're gonna head out to the next caravan. Hopefully we'll be able to do something."

"Good luck with that." Gunari said.

"Thanks. Good luck with finding your daughter."

Gunari paused. "Thank you." She went upstairs, leaving the two alone in the dining room.


	7. Contemplation

"ABSOLUTE FAILURE!" Windsor shouted. Jess looked down at the blood soaked ground dejectedly. None of the corpses there were her kills.

"I'm sorry, i just couldn't do it" She whimpered, tears starting to stream down her face.

"It is our divine duty to purge the unclean from this world, including these daemonic heathens! What weight upon your conscious could *possibly* limit you?"

"I... I just don't think this is right. What we're doing." That remark was met with a harsh smack, knocking Jess to the blood-soaked dirt. Windsor then picked her up by the collar, bringing her right to his face

"This task has been handed down to us by the high leader! Her word is the word of God Himself! Are you implying that our God, who knows all, sees all, and hears all, is wrong?" Windsor snarled, smacking her again

"Yes? Maybe? I don't know!" Jess raised her arms in defense. Windsor threw her to ground, to lay among the bodies. "I want you to take your time to contemplate whatever 'inhibitions' you may have, and where your loyalties truly lie. It's either us, the men and women who raised you, or the filth and scum of the world." Windsor brought his ax to her black hair, chopping off a few strands before walking off to prepare. Jess' hair slowly drifted to the ground. Jess sobbed into the earth as snow began to dance around her.


	8. Tasaria

As the light dimmed and the snowstorm began to set in, Eden sat in one of the bedroom's in Gunari's cottage. The room was in almost pristine condition. The bed was made neatly, the corners of the blankets tucked into the bed. The floor had a clear sheen to it, almost glistening in the candlelight. In the corner of the room, there was a bookcase, with the letter leather bound books organized alphabetically. There was a dresser across the room, and, upon further inspection, it still held clothes in it. Much too small for Gunari, Eden, or even Rachel, it was most likely for a little girl no more than 6 years old. On the wall, hanging between the dresser and the bookshelf, was an Oil painting. The picture was of three individuals, A man, a Woman, and a toddler. One of which was easily recognizable as Gunari. However, this Gunari was much livelier, happier. Her vibrancy seemed to almost leap out of the painting and into the real world. Next to her was a Yeshu man. His bright Blonde hair was matched in vibrancy only by his Auburn eyes. The child in the middle, Who Eden had surmised was most likely her daughter, had her mothers glistening raven hair and her father's vibrant brown eyes. She definitely took more after her father in terms of appearance, and could easily pass as Yeshu, but she was undeniably both of their children. Eden was taken from his thoughts by Gunari. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Eden jumped in surprise. "AH! GUNARI! WHERE COME FROM DID YOU?" He exclaimed.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you like that!" She said before her eyes found the painting.

"It's alright. Just... Give me some warning before you go all Iron Raven on me!"

"Iron Raven?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, the masked hero that showed up about 10 years ago?"

"Ah. Yes. My brain flaked out on me." She said with a small chuckle.

"Aaaaanyways, who is that guy?" Eden pointed to the man in the oil painting.

"That was Joshua. He was my husband. He was the best man i could ever ask for."

"Hey!" Eden said in mock indignation.

"You can be the second best, then" Gunari said while chuckling.

"So... Who's that?" She pointed to the toddler.

"That is Tasaria. My daughter."

"Oh... What happened to your husband?"

"He... He died of illness. Tasaria was only four years old. I... I don't really think she understood what was happening. just... One day, Dad went away."

"I... Oh... Wow... I'm... Sorry to hear that."

"It's ok. I'm fine now. I know my daughter is still out there, somewhere, and I've come to terms with Joshua's death." Gunari sighed. "You should get some rest. a sleepy mercenary makes for a poor fighter." She said as she closed the door.

Eden nodded before laying down on the bed, the soft glow of the candle and the warmth of the bed slowly lulling him to sleep


	9. Departure

Eden awoke the next morning to Rachel gently shaking him. "Hey. It's morning."

"ugh... five more minuuutes" he said groggily

"You said that 2 hours ago!"

"No i didn't..." 

"Yes, you did, now get up before breakfast gets cold."

"Ugh, fine." Eden reluctantly stood up, rubbing his eyes as he stretched, groaning with each one before walking downstairs.

Waiting for him on the table was Gunari, a cheery smile on her face and a purple cloak, and a hearty plate of eggs and bacon. "Good Morning, Eden! I made breakfast!" Eden sighed. "I can't eat that." Gunari nodded with an embarrassed smile "Right. Sorry. Should have asked." She cleared the plate before going back to the kitchen and returning with eggs and bread with a jam spread. Eden quickly shoveled it in his mouth before giving it back to Gunari "'fank you!" He said, his mouth still stuffed with food.

"Don't mention it. Now, the next caravan should be about 3 miles to the west of here, they were supposed to check in for supplies a few days ago, so prepare for the worst." Gunari said

"How do you know that?" Rachel asked skeptically

"I have a friend who writes." 

"Right. Thank you for pointing us there, now, we should probably get going." Eden said with a smile

"Be careful out there, The blizzard isn't letting up!"

"Thank you for the warning" Eden said as he put on his cloak. Rachel did the same. "If you don't mind, can we come back here to rest after we find the caravan?"

"Of course! Now, get a move on before the storm gets any worse!"

Eden nods. "Thank you for your hospitality, Gunari" He said, smiling warmly before stepping out into the harsh snowstorm, Rachel following close behind.


	10. Confrontation

A few hours had passed.before they reached the caravan, and their fate was the same as the first. Eden looked on in a combination of anger and grief. He felt his entire body heat up, melting the snow around him. Rachel placed a hand on him "Eden- AGH!" She pulled her hand away. His body was searing hot, and almost seemed to radiate heat. Rachel walked around him and looked him in the eyes. "Eden. Look at me." When Eden reluctantly glanced up at her, Rachel stepped backwards in shock. Eden's Iris seemed to be... Almost molten and cracked, as though the newfound gorges in his iris had been filled with magma.

The sound of crunching snow behind Rachel snapped her out of it as she drew her shield to block an incoming swing from a battle axe. Windsor looked at her and flashed a sickening grin. "We knew you were coming. Did you really think we'd be that stupid?" Rachel forced his axe off her shield and drew her sword. "Did you really think we'd come here unprepared for a fight?" Rachel charged at Windsor with a slash, which he blocked before following up with another swing. Rachel dodged it, but, despite whiffing, Rachel felt a sharp pain in her side. Looking down, she saw that her side had been cut, armor and all. She presumed he must have some sort of wind magic, allowing him to create wind slashes with his axe. It looked like Dodging wasn't an option, so she would have to block the attacks. She imbued her sword with light before slashing at him again

Behind Windsor, Eden took note of Jess. He noted that he had seen her face somewhere before, but couldn't quite place his finger on it. He shook his head, he would have time to think on it later. right now, he was just itching for a fight. He got into a combat stance as Jess reluctantly took out a pair of short swords and rushed at him. Eden warped behind her and hit her with a jab and an uppercut. Jess then slashed at him again, this time grazing his cheek, before kicking him in the chest. Eden growled and rushed at her with a fiery roundhouse kick before pulling out his staff and whacking her with it. Jess swings at him with a flurry of blows, which Eden blocks before ramming his staff into her stomach and smacking her away with a fiery swing, crashing her into one of the wagons. The blunt trauma of the crash took Jess' mind back to a long repressed memory as the real world seemed to fade away.

\----------------

Jess found herself in a bedroom, in the early hours of morning. A small child, whom she had recognized to be herself, ran hurriedly down the stair. Jess followed her downstairs to find a young woman making eggs and bacon for this younger her. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door. The young woman ran up to answer it. She seemed extremely familiar to Jess, but she couldn't quite figure it out. "Wait here, Tasaria, I'll be right back." Wait... Tasaria? Who's Tasaria? The only other person in the room was the younger version of herself. When the young woman opened the door, her eyes widened. Standing there was high leader Maria Meseah. The young woman put on a cheerful smile. "Hello there! How may I help you?" She said with a thin veil of welcoming which concealed a great deal.of suspicion.

"I have heard from the others that you stole a young Yeshu girl. Hand her over."

"What!? No I didn't!" She said indignantly

"Cut the shit, Gunari! We've all seen you walking around with her! There's no feasible way that you could have actually birthed her."

"I swear It's true! My husband was Yeshu!"

"And where is he!?"

"He... He passed away a few years ago."

"A likely story. You stole that child, and took her from my family. Now I'm going to take her back."c

"Stay away from my daughter you bitch!" Gunari's hands flared to life with shadow magic. "Tasaria! Run!" The younger version of Jess-no-Tasaria, nodded and started to run. Maria responded to Gunari with a quick warp behind her and a strike to the back of the head, taking her down for the count. She then grabbed Tasaria as she kicked and screamed and sobbed. "MOMMY!" She pounded her fist against Maria's arm. "LET GO OF ME!" Maria waved her hands over her eyes, and Tasaria fell unconscious. "It's ok, child. You'll have a new family, with your rightful people." The older Tasaria looked on, immobilized by shock as the memory faded, and she found her self lying in the splintered remains of a caravan wagon.


	11. A dance of rage and shadow.

Eden and Rachel were double teaming Windsor, who seemed to have them both on the ropes. Eden jabbed at him several times with his staff. Windsor growled and created a massive wind pulse that forced them both into a wall, knocking Eden unconscious and leaving Rachel winded. Windsor snarled at Tasaria as she groaned. "What are you doing!? Fight!" He snarled as he swung at Rachel again. "Get up!" And again. "Kill her!" He barked at Tasaria

Tasaria panted as she stood up. She looked at Windsor with an indescribable amount of rage in her eyes. They had lied to her all her life. They had hurt her, deceived her, and tried to mold her into a monster. It built up, flushing her cheeks and causing her to shake. Eventually, it boiled over as she stepped slowly towards her blades. "I've made my choice." She said, steely calm in her fury.

"What?"

"Earlier. When you said I had to make a choice between family or the scum of the earth. I've made my decision" she picked them up. "I've decided to choose family." She rushes at her, blades drawn as she slashed at him. Windsor barely blocked in time, shocked at her betrayal. "You... You scum sucking whore!" He slashed at her, which she blocked before unleashing a barrage of strikes. Windsor, however, blocked them all and swung in retaliation, shattering her blades and knocking her roughly 20 feet away. Rachel swung at Windsor while his back was turned, which he only barely blocked before focusing on her once again. Tasaria stood up slowly, her eyes leaving a trail of red essence, her body engulfed in purple shadows-no-her body was made of these shadows. She held out her hands, causing a pair of shadow blades to materialize in her hand. "WINDSOR!"

Windsor threw Rachel away and turned to her. "What? What are you?"

"You know how I never thought our shunning of shadow magic was wise!? Well, look what I did, just to spite it! To spite you!" She smiled as she flew at him, shadows cascading off of her as she slashed his cheek. Rachel looked on in awe, and a bit of confusion. Windsor slashed at her, but she circled around him, slashing at his back, which he dodged. Tasaria then sent a flurry of shadowy tendrils at him, which he could only somewhat defend against before Tasaria rushed at him one last time with a barrage of slashes, each one with more power and anger in it than the last, until she slashed his axe in 2 and chopped off his arm at the shoulder. Windsor screamed in agony as Tasaria stepped over to him again, one of her blades dissipating and her form returning to normal. She grabbed him by the chin and held the blade to his throat. "I could just kill you right now. A single flick of the wrist is all it would take. But I have a better idea. If memory serves, Maria has little tolerance for failure." She pushed him to the ground. "Run along. Run back to the camp, and tell Maria how you failed. How you let me slip away."

Windsor scrambled to his feet with the shattered remnants of his pride and fled for his life. Tasaria exhaled as her other blade faded away before looking at Rachel. "Your friend. Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine. Who the hell are you, and why did you start to help us?"

"To answer your first question, my name is Tasaria. As for your second question, they took me from my mother and tried to mold me into a monster."

"Wait... Do you remember your mother's name?"

"I... I think it was... Gunari?"

Rachel's eyes widened in shock before turning into a grin. "I know where she is. You got a horse?"

"Yes"

"Good. Follow me." She carried Eden on her back as she mounted her horse. Tasaria pulled up to her a minute later. "You ready?" Rachel asked.

"Yup."

"Well then, lets get moving!" The three of them rode back to Cathos together


	12. Punishment

As Windsor hobbled back into the camp, he heard the murmurings of the other soldiers as they each stared at him with a smirk. He knew what they were saying, but he kept his head down and kept walking. He stood before the high leader's tent. With hesitation, he opened the flaps to the tent and stepped inside.

Maria was discussing tactics with another man, looking roughly the same age as her, before turning to Windsor. "Ah. I see you've returned from your mission! I presume it went well?"

Windsor shook his head. "No high leader... I... I failed. They defeated me..."

Maria sighed. "And where is Tasaria?"

"She... She betrayed us... She had been learning shadow magic behind our backs this whole time."

"I presume you at least dealt with her?" She said, her hand shaking with rage.

"No... She... She was the one who-" he was interrupted by Maria flipping her table and storming up to him. "You mean you let her get away!?" She screamed.

"I-I'm sorry, high leader, i won't let it happen again!" He said, fear in his eyes.

"You're right." She said, a cold glare in her eyes as she took off her metallic gauntlet, revealing a hand covered by runes, and grabbed his shoulder. Windsor tried to wriggle out of it, but her grip was hard as iron. Windsor felt weaker by the second, as though the life was being sapped from him. "Please ma'am. I... I can still be useful!" He cried out weakly. His skin began to shrivel up as he desperately struggled to get free of her iron grip. His knees buckled, forcing him to kneel as he grabbed at her cloak. "Please ma'am. I... I..." He was barely audible. He gasped out one last time before life faded from his eyes. He slumped lifelessly to the floor. Maria's eyes glowed ever so slightly as another rune formed. She looked to the man. "My love, Tell the guards to clean him up. After that, I have a new assignment for you."

The man nodded. "As you wish, my dearest Maria."


End file.
